<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>the young and the old by Sorbus</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28531092">the young and the old</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sorbus/pseuds/Sorbus'>Sorbus</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Legend of Zelda &amp; Related Fandoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, First Meetings, Gen, Humor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:53:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>737</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28531092</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sorbus/pseuds/Sorbus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They'd been a party of nine for a while, and pretty comfortable with it. After so long, who would think they'd get another member - and one who was so young? </p><p>Mask and the Links meet.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>117</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the young and the old</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time stared at the Kid. The Kid stared back. </p><p>Warriors was fussing somewhere to the left of him, every so often Time could hear him muttering something along the lines of "not again" and "this is too unfair." Whatever that was, they were his own issues. </p><p>The Kid blinked, real slow. Time blinked back. </p><p>This, it appears, was enough acknowledgement for the Kid, who relaxed his stance and started to look around. He had fallen through a portal, bringing their company of nine up to a company of ten. Although, Time thought, eyeing the golden rabbit ears on the top of the Kid's head, perhaps he had run right through. </p><p>It was common courtesy among the Links not to overwhelm a newcomer. Time could spy Twilight and Hyrule from the corner of his eye clutching each other and barely holding back from introducing themselves. The fact that Legend hadn't stormed over with a witty comment on the tip of his tongue, or Wind hadn't pounced on the new kid was probably a miracle in of itself. Time better make it quick. </p><p>"Hello," Time said, relaxing his own posture. The Kid's eyes snapped back to his own, the same clear blue. Time resisted the urge to kneel down and speak on level as he would with any other child of this age. "My name is Link, but I'm better known as the Hero of Time. These people", he said, gesturing to the other heroes, "are all also called Link. They were the respective heroes of their own era." </p><p>The Kid's eyes furrowed in thought, and Time wondered if he had always been so transparent in his expressions, or if being able to read the Kid was a given. </p><p>"Hero of Time, you said?" The Kid asked, but evidently he was just thinking out loud. When Time had first fallen through the portal himself (but was it the first time? He had evidence right in front of him that perhaps it had not been), it had scarcely taken him a moment to understand that he was in a new time and world, and the Links were another version of himself. </p><p>Time nodded anyway. "They call me Time." Without saying much, he could explain to the Kid what the situation was. Maybe the Kid had picked up on Time's own surprise at his appearance and - rightfully - guessed that Time himself had no memory of meeting himself at that age.</p><p>Well. Weirder things had happened. </p><p>The Kid glanced at Time's eye and markings, question evident in his gaze. Even knowing that it was neither the time nor place, that it wouldn't be remembered, Time was overcome with the urge to give the Kid a warning. Anything to spare him from the same fate. </p><p>Instead he shrugged helplessly, shoving his self loathing firmly under lock and key lest the Kid pick up on it. He knew all too well the dangers of messing with the past.</p><p>The Kid took it in stride. Unsurprising, Time was well aware the sort of strange situations he'd been thrown into before. They finally turned around and made their way closer to the group. </p><p>"A new Link?" Four asked, voice low. </p><p>"Hi nice to meet you!" Wind half-shouted, tired of containing this excitement. "I'm Wind, I'm fourteen and I-"</p><p>"I'm Twilight," Twilight cut in, easily heading off Wind's budding speech. "This is Hyrule." He pointed to the brown haired Link by his side.</p><p>The Kid raised a single eyebrow at the name. </p><p>"I'm the Hero of Hyrule," Hyrule explained sheepishly. </p><p>Wind was huffing, getting into a small whispered argument with Twilight. </p><p>"I'm Legend," Legend said, reaching out a hand to shake. "Charmed. That one," he nodded to the right of him, "is Four. One of our members, Wild, has gone off to hunt, and that idiot with the scarf isn't important." </p><p>The Kid laughed at that, and Legend didn't bother hiding his smug reaction to the sound. </p><p>"Captain," the Kid said, finally speaking up. That caught Warriors' attention, and the attention of half the Link's in the camp. </p><p><em>Captain</em>, Wind mouthed. </p><p>The Kid, seeing Warriors attention on him, gave a bright, sunny smile. Despite it, or perhaps because of it, Warriors seemed to pale further. The Kid seemed satisfied. </p><p>Legend watched with equal parts curiosity and amusement. "What's your name, Kid?"</p><p>"Hmm." He tugged on his bunny headband in thought. "I guess you can call me Mask." </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this was inspired by a discord chat so i can't really take all the credit. but someone had the big brain idea that what if Mask and Time were in the party at the same time? i think it would be interesting if that happened</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>